How to save money on train fares 2023

Published on: Monday, 10 January 2022
Last updated: Wednesday, 1 March 2023

  • Days Out

More and more people are choosing to travel by rail. It’s one of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel and our new trains all have free Wi-Fi, air conditioning and large picture windows to make your journey comfortable.

This year, whether you plan to holiday at home, get lost in nature or head for the city lights, there’s a destination for every occasion on our network and to help you save money on your tickets, we’ve compiled a handy list of ways to save when you travel:

Advance Fares

For the greater value fares, book ahead. By purchasing an Advance ticket available on most longer distance journeys, you’re able to choose the best time to travel at the lowest available fare. Advanced fares start from as little as £6, and the earlier you book, the more you can save.

On our website you can sign up for alerts so you can be the first to know when advance tickets are on sale. Tickets are typically on sale around three months before date of travel.

Fares start at £10 single between London and Norwich, £8 single between London and Cambridge and £6 single between London and Southend. You can also use a Railcard with your Advance ticket, to help you save even more money. Railcards typically save a third on fares, meaning you could travel from Norwich to London for as little as £7 and between London and Southend for £4.

Save money on your commute

An annual season ticket offers the best value fares for anyone commuting three or more days a week. Annual season tickets are calculated at 40x the cost of a weekly ticket, meaning you get 12 weeks free travel.

If you’re working in the office a couple of days a week, the Flexi Season ticket is perfect if you need to make regular trips but are not sure when you’ll be travelling. With a Flexi Season ticket, you can buy a bundle of 8 day passes for a specific journey to be used in 28 days, giving you the flexibility of an Anytime Day Return with added convenience and savings.

Buy online

It’s easy to buy a ticket online for our trains and journeys on other networks too.
For the cheapest tickets online, visit the Greater Anglia website. To save time at the station, buy a ticket on the Greater Anglia app before you travel.

GroupSave

With our GroupSave offer, you can get 1/3 off all our fares for groups of three to nine adults travelling together Off-Peak. If a family with two adults and one child are travelling, you can specify that three people are travelling and still benefit from the GroupSave discount. In a group of three people, one person will travel for free with GroupSave. You can book at the station or online in advance, and if you're heading for the capital, you can combine GroupSave with our London 2FOR1 offers . Choose from top attractions, including museums, galleries and famous landmarks, along with discounted eating out and entertainment.

London Night Out/London Evening Out

London calling? Whether you plan to meet friends, enjoy some culture or visit one of the many award-winning restaurants, we’re helping you enjoy London for less. For just £25 per person, you can go to London from 2pm onwards and return on any train departing London Liverpool Street the same day between 7.05pm and 11.30pm.

However, if you have planned to stay overnight, you can opt for the London Night out ticket, which is valid to return on any train the following morning up to midday (except 7am-8.05am weekdays).

London Evening out Return tickets are available for journeys between Norwich and Colchester stations (including branch lines) towards Stratford or London Liverpool Street.

Club 50

If you’re aged 50 or over, you can join Club 50 for big train travel discounts while travelling with Greater Anglia or Stansted Express. For £20 per year, you can benefit from 20% savings on Off-Peak & Advance fares online and 10% savings on Off-Peak & Advance fares at the station.

Full details can be found here https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/club50

Railcards

The 16-25 , 26-30, Disabled Persons, Family & Friends, Veterans, Senior and Two Together Railcards can help you save up to a third – even on our discount fares.

For more information about Railcards visit https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/tickets-fares/discounts/railcards

Duo

When two adults travel together on our Duo ticket, the second person receives 50% off. This is valid on day return tickets and only at weekends. Duo is available on Greater Anglia's routes south of Cambridge, Harwich and Manningtree.

For more information visit https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/tickets-fares/discounts/duo-tickets

Need some inspiration?

We serve more than 130 stations. If you’re spoilt for choice visit www.greateranglia.co.uk/destinations to help plan your trip.